Method of operating upon shoes



, Aug. 4, 1931. J. B. HADAwAY v 1,816,902 f METHOD OF OPERATING UPO SHOES Filed Feb. 5. 1928 Patented Aug. 4, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN B. HADAWAY, OF SWAIIPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE VIACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A yCORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY METHOD OF OPERATING UPON SHOES v Application led February 3, 1928. VSerial No. 251,670.

My invention relates to methods of operating upon shoes, and particularly upon the heel-ends, as in the attachment of heels to the heel-seats.

In the nailing otheels, it is important that each heel shall be located in. a. definite relation to the counter-portion of the shoe to Which it is to be attached, and that both the heel and shoe be similarly positioned with respect to the nailing mechanism. Another instance ont an operation upon heels Where their relation to the operating instrumentalities mustbe fixed is found in breasting. An object ot thisinvention is to establish, Without requiring skill on the part et the operator or the making of adjustments, and maintain undisturbed such predetermined relation tor all the Work operated upon, regardless of the varying thickness of the stock and Without the possibility of introducing errors by the distortion, throughr handling or otherwise, of surfaces by contact with Which the position of the Worlris gaged.

For the attainment of this object, I first assemble portions of a shoe upon alast, pro-v duce locating means upon the lasted portions under the `guidance of the last, position portions of the shoe as determined by the locating means, and linally perform the desired operations uponthe positioned Work. The locating means is preferably equidistant from a predetermined point for all sizes of shoes, as from a common breast-line of' the heels to be attached. In heel-attaching, it is, I be-y lieve, novel to place a lasted upper and sole upon a j ack Which occupiesk a predetermined position with relation to nail-inserting mechanism, to place a. heel in a like predetermined position, and finally to operate the inserting mechanism to drive attaching nails into the heel and slioe-sole. More speciiically, as herein exemplified, in heel-attaching, a sole and upper are brought together upon a last provided With openings, and the sole is periorated under the guidance of the openings,

for example, by drilling through them. Then the'lasted Work is placed upon a jack having proj ectionswhiclipass through the openings.

As final steps, the shoe and heel or plural heel-portions, as a base and top lift, are positioned upon the shoe under the influence ot' the projections, and these are nailed to the heel-seat of the shoe. By following such a procedure, the relation of the shoe and heel to each other and to the points of insertion of the attaching nails is rendered independent of variations in the material, which might interfere With the accuracy ofthe operation were the parts positioned by external Contact With them of gages or clamps. Moreover, since the upper and sole remain upon the last from the time of producing the locating openings until after the heel has been attached, there is no opportunity for these openings to be shifted from their proper relation to the upper or to each other, either as a result of expansion or contraction from atmospheric changes or by stresses sustained in handling. The demand upon the heeling operator in connection with the positioning of the Work-poi`- tions is limited to putting the last and heelportions in place under the guidance of the openings and projections.

The steps of my improved method are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which F ig. l shows, in broken side elevation, a lasted shoe ready for the production of the locat-ing openings;

ing mechanism by which the openings are made; and f Fig. 3 is a broken side elevation lof the shoe and heel in place in a heel-attaching machine. f

In carrying out my method, there is employed a last A, preferably having a forepart-portion 10 and a separate heel-portion l2. Upon this last there is assembled, in

any convenient manner, an insole I, an

upper U and an outsole S, there being shown aetiveen the insole and outsole a filler-piece F and a shank-reinforcement R. I have chosen to illustrate S as a short sole, its reai extremity reaching just Within the breast line ot the heel which is to be attached; but the use of a full-length sole is equally within the scope of my invention.

In the portion 12 ot the last is a socket 14,

which may be oval in horizontal section, its

Fig. 2 is a similar view, including a drill- Y operation with a bed 80 'with the considerable lateral l move drivers transverse dimensions approaching those ot the last-portion. That is, the socket is preferably of large transverse'area, and the wall surrounding it relatively thin. Y Extending through the last from the interior ot the socket to the thread-surface of the heel-portion, and spaced from each other along the longitudinal axis of the last, are twoopenings 16, 16, in which are inserted protecting bushings 18, 18. The openings 16 are preterably situated, throughout theen'tire 'run ot' last-sizes, at the same distance from aline which corresponds to the location ot' the breasts of the heels to be attached, the change in lengths between the sizes taking place rearwardly Jfrom the outer opening. The socket is comparatively deep, sothat av not very great thickness of metal is left at E20.V This reduces the leverage which tends .to cause thev last to rock laterally under pressure in such operations as heeling. It also, dimensions of the socket, gives less weight in the cast-metal heel-portion.

`With the Vshoe-portions previously indicated in place upon the. last, locating openings Y22 are producedin the sole under the `guidance ot the last-opening 16. In referto the sole, especially in the claims, it

rinff is tb be understood that either the insole or the outsole, or both these elements are thereby comprehended. The perforation ot the sole may be performedsimultaneously for both openings 16 by drills '24 rotatably mounted in a trame 26 and driven by gearing E28.y The drillsl are shown as acting in cotormed to support the work. v

The uppery and sole-elements being undisturbed upon the last after the production of the openings 22, vthe shoe is transterredto the apparatusvwhich' isto operate upon it. I have illustrated the die-block 320i a heeling machine, through openings in which K' 34 carried by ar reciprocatory Vplate .36. At the side of the die-block oppositie the drivers isfa jack 38, by which the 'work is'fsupported for the. attaching. operation. This ack is either fixed against transverse movement'in a predetermined relation to the.die-block-openings, orV is movable to such unvarying operating position. its top lOis shaped to enter the socket 14: ot the last, and hastwo verticalpins or proliections 42, l2 arranged to pass through the openings 16 and 22 when the lasted shoe is jacked; The pins alone may hold the jacked shoe in a definite relation to the nailing mechanism, but, to some extent at least, the tit olfpthe jack-top. inY they socket retains the lastvagainst angular and lateral displacement. ritter jacking" the work, a heel or heelportions are placed' over the heel-seat, positi 3-ii.`etlivfitli reference tothe counter-portion of the shoe and to .the nailing mechanism by the pins. In the present instance, a heelbase B and a top lift T are thus located. In the base, there are formed, when it is made and in the desired relation to its periphery, openings all, lll passing through the heelseat and tread-ends and spaced to receive the pins. V] hen thus positioned by the pins, the base is symmetrically related to the counterportion. Said base is recessed at i6 to receive the rear extremity/ot the short'sole S. Since the locating openings are equally spaced from thecommon breast-line tor all sizes of heels, there will be a'correct entrance oi the sole-end into the recess', regardless of size. The lift T, which may bel ot rubber, has molded in it depressions 48,418, also vregistering with the pins and, when gaged by them, substantially coinciding at its'periphery with that of the base. Clearly, since the openings 22 are ,made after the up )er and sole are assembled upon the last, the dimensions of these elements or their distortion in lasting or otherwise cannot affect said openings, and, as the upper and its 'sole Vremain in placeL upon the last after the locating openings have been made and untilthe heeling operation has been completed, there can be no change in the openings introducing error into the location of the elements.- lith the lasted shoe, the base and the ktop lift all positioned correctly with respect tov each other and to the nailing mechanism, and the tread-end of the top lift pressed against the under side of the die-block, the drivers 34 are caused to make their inserting stroke, drivingnails N, which have been supplied to the die-block-openings, through the litt, base and heel-seat, clinching them upon the last. -The advantages of this Yinvention may be summed up by pointing out that it untail- 105 ingly produces a'correctlocation of a heel with reference to other shoe-portions in preparation for an operation upon it and without requiring skillor careupon the part of the operator, regardless of errors inthe gen- 110 eral form of the various parts of the-work, and unaected by any changes likely to occur in these parts. v Y

Having described my invention, what 1 claim as newV and desire to secure by Letters 115 Patent of the .United States is:

1. The method ot Voperating upon shoes, which consists in assembling portions of a shoe upon a last, producing locating means upon'the assembled portions whilst-hey are 120 upon the last and under the guidance or" said last, positioning the portionsfof the lshoe as determined by the locating means, and performing the desired operation upon the positioned Work. y

2.7The method ot operating upon shoes, ywhich'consists-in assembling portions oi a shoe lupon a last, producing locating means upon the assembled vportions while they are upon the. last, fixing thelast with the as- 13G 1 shoe upon a sembled shoe-portions in a definite position determined by the locating means, positioning another shoe-portion in a relation determined by said locating means, and performing the desired Operation upon the lasted Work.

3. The method of operating upon the heelends of shoes, which consists in assembling the upper and sole of a shoe upon a last, producing locating' means in the sole, under the guidance of the last, positioning of a heel upon the sole as determined by the locating means, and performing the desired operation upon the positioned heel.

4. The method of attaching heels to shoes, Which consists in assembling the upper and sole of a shoe upon a last, placing the lasted shoe upon a jack which occupies a predetermined position with relation to nail-insertf ing mechanism, placing a heel in a predetermined position With relation to the inserting mechanism, and operating said mechanism to drive attaching nails into the heel and shoe-sole.

'5. The method of attaching heels to shoes, which consists in assembling the upper and sole 0f a shoe upon a last placing thelasted jack which occupies a predetermined position With relation to nail-inserting mechanism sai-d jack being provided with heel-locating means placing a heel under the influence of the locating means and operatin the inserting mechanism to attach the heel to the shoe-sole.

6. The method of attaching heels to shoes, Which consists in assembling the upper and sole of a shoe upon a last, producing openings in the sole While upon the last, placing the last andassembled portion-s upon a jack having projections arranged to pass through the openings, positioning a heel upon the sole under the influence of the projections, and nailing the heel to the sole.

7. vThe method of attaching heels to shoes,

' which consists in assembling the upper and sole of a shoe upon a last, producing openings in the sole While upon the last, placing the last and assembled portions upon a jack having projections arranged to pass through the openings, applying successively to the projections a heel-base and a heel-lift. in Which are openings to receive said projec- V tions, and simultaneously nailing the base and lift yto the sole.

y8. The method of operating upon shoes, Which consists in' assembling portions of a shoe upon a last having openings, producing openings in the assembled portionsvunder the guidance of the last-openings, placing a portion of the shoe in a position determined by the openings, and performing the desired operation upon the Work.

9. The method of attaching heels to shoes, Which consists in assembling a sole and an upper upon a last provided with openings at the heel-end, perforating the sole through the openings, placing the-lasted shoe upon a jack provided With projections which pass through the last-openings and sole-perforations, applying a heel to the projections, and nailing the heel upon the sole.

l0. The method of operating upon shoes, Which consists in assembling portions of a shoe upon a last, producing locating means upon the assembled portions While they are upon the last, such locating means being equidistant from a predetermined point for all sizes of shoes, positioning the portions of the slice as determined by the locating means, and performing the desired operation upon the positioned Work.

1l. The method of attaching heels to shoes, which consists in assembling the upper and sole of a shoe upon a last, producing openings in the sole While upon the last, said openings being cquidistant for all sizes of shoes from a breast-line common to all, placing the last and assembled portions upon a jack having projections arranged to pass through the openings, positioning a heel upon the sole under the influence of the projections, and nailing the heel to the sole.

In testimony ywhereof I have signed my name to this specication.

JOHN B. HADAVVAY. 

